Traveling to Indonesia

Hi there… It’s Reni again.

If you read my last post “Introducing Culture of Indonesia”, you at least have a bit of idea about my country’s culture. Interested to come for a visit? Maybe yes, maybe know considering the distance. However, if you want to discover the other side of the world with different culture, I would say that Indonesia is one of the perfect option. We have great nature, diverse culture and friendly people. J In this post, I would like to share about traveling to Indonesia.

How to get there?

I think the easiest way of course by plane. It’s pretty expensive to fly to Asia, especially at the south east-est part. However, you can always find promotions from the airplane companies. I came here through Venice, because it is cheaper to fly there than to Ljubljana. It cost me 800 Euros return from Jakarta to Venice, it’s still expensive because I booked it last minute, however, it is cheaper compared to other destination. If you book way in advance, you can find as cheap as 450 Euros. You can check flight through skyscanner.com

Where to Stay

There countless accommodation you can find in Indonesia. Even in the island I am from (Bali), you can find so many options. However, if you are in a budget traveling and want to spend less money for accommodation, you can join Couchsurfing. It’s an online forum for travelers where you can stay in local people for free while exchange culture with them. But, if you prefer to stay in the paid one, you can find guest house as cheap as 5Euros/night.

How to get around?

It depends where you are. If you come to Bali, best way of going around is by scooter. You can rent a scooter for 3Euros/day. Don’t worry, it’s easy to learn, many traveler do this. Public transportation is also an option, but it’s not very convenience. However, we have Uber if you prefer to go around by car, of GOJEK (motor taxi) if you want to go the cheaper way.

What’s the prices?

Indonesia is a cheap country. It’s a bit expensive to get there, but once you are there, it’s very cheap – at least of Europeans. To compare the prices, for an example: 1 liter of petrol cost 50cents, a plate of fried rice in a local restaurant costs 1 euros, small bottle of local beer (330ml) costs around 1.20Euros, a box of cigarette costs 1Euros. If you want to go to local tourist attraction, you have to pay the entrance, however, it’s not more than 5Euros. If you want to go to nature like beaches, it’s free. The currency of Indonesia is Indonesian Rupiah (IDR or Rp), 1 Euro = 15,000 IDR.

What to do or what to see?

Indonesia is a big country with over 17,000 islands. So, mostly you can see beaches where you can swim, snorkeling, surfing, diving, or sailing. We have mountains and volcanoes where you can hike. We have forests too. There is a forest in Kalimantan where you can feel like in Amazon. You can also find Orangutans there. You can do and see a lot of things in Indonesia, depends on where you go.

6. How are the people?

Indonesians are considered as one of the friendly nation in the world. If you come to our country, we will make sure that you feel welcome. You’ll see our people wear smile all the time. We are willing to help you if you have any problem, especially people who live in not touristy area.

I would say, when you travel to Indonesia, you will not only experience to see how beautiful the country is, but you will get a chance to experience the diversity of the culture and the friendliness of the people. Normally, people who come, they will always come back because they have great first experience.